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Abstract

We demonstrate optical trapping and manipulation of micron-sized absorbing air-borne particles with a single focused Gaussian beam. Transportation of trapped nonspherical particles from one beam to another is realized, and the underlying mechanism for the trapping is discussed by considering the combined action of several forces. By employing a specially-designed optical bottle beam, we observe stable trapping and optical transportation of light-absorbing particles from one container to another that is less susceptible to ambient perturbation.

Figures (4)

Trapping of silicon particles by a single focused Gaussian beam. (a) Multi-particles trapped before and after the focal point inside a glass cuvette; (b) A few particles remained in the trap when they were moved out of the cuvette; (c, d) Microscopic image of trapped non-spherical silicon particles; (e) Unstably trapped glassy carbon spherical particles; (f, g) Side-view photographs of scattered light patterns from particles before and after the focal point. In (a, b), dashed circle marks the position of a trapped particle, vertical arrow marks the location of focal point, and dashed horizontal arrow illustrates the input direction and focusing condition of the laser beam. The white arrow s in (f, g) denote the propagation direction of the laser beam. When the beam is loosely focused, the particles cannot be stably trapped but rather driven by the laser beam and move in the direction of beam propagation as shown in the media file (Media 1).

Particles transportation between two orthogonally oriented Gaussian beams, Media 4. (a) A particle is trapped first by the vertical beam; (b) The particle is taken by the horizontal beam. The dashed arrows illustrate the orientation and shape of the trapping beams.